A fix for election concerns

While catching up on recycling newspapers, I came across a column by Betsy McCaughey that was written after the 2018 elections.

“Let’s empower the voters, and not the lawyers” suggested Americans are losing confidence in elections. She focused on mail-in ballot “mischief,” provisional ballots and too much time being spent on verifying votes. Her message was to encourage folks to “cast ballots in the reliable way — in person at the local polling place.”

I started scribbling my rebuttal to what I felt was a narrow and simplistic approach. What about all the local in-person issues that needed to be solved, too? What about closed polling places, voter purges, missing power cords, too few machines, vote flipping and hackers? So much wrongdoing to squeeze into 500 words.

Then I stopped and ripped it all up. Maybe a fix was not as simple as McCaughey presented, but it could be less complicated than I was making it.

Empower yourself. Don’t wait for anyone else to do it for you. Vote. Don’t let anyone put successful obstacles between you and your vote. It might take a little effort and inconvenience on your part, but don’t waste the sacrifices that others have made to hand us this privilege. If you have moved or skipped several elections, you might need to update your status with the board of elections. Check ahead of an election if you think your local polling location might close. Always fill out your mail-in ballot carefully. Some voters do the hard part — choosing a candidate — and then forget to sign.

Are you a college student who is confused about where you are allowed to vote? You can find a good explanation online. And, if you are old school and prefer in-person voting, make sure you double check your selections before you cast your final ballot.

Make it a habit to participate in all future elections. Every eligible citizen should vote, and every legal vote should be counted.